One of the 20th century's greatest painters, Francis Bacon (1909-1992), was at the height of his celebrity during London's swinging '60s. Bacon, however, a fiercely cruel artist suffers from the malady of obsession: his passion for his work is nearly exceeded by his obsession with George Dyer--a darkly handsome petty thief who becomes his lover and the model for many of his most reknowned paintings.